Robert Verrall, a directing Canadian animator, straightforwardor and film originater with the National Film Board of Canada, has died. He was 97.
Verrall died in Montauthentic on Friday from unspecified caemploys, the NFB, the country’s uncoverly-funded filmoriginater, shelp after being in reach out with his family.
“Robert Verrall was one of the originateers of the NFB, who haveed a enthusiastic eye for fantastic stories and talented creators. Gifted in animation, he built on the set upation put in place by Norman McLaren to draw global renown for the NFB as a caccess for animation excellence. In write downary and drama, he oversaw the NFB’s efforts to set up production units atraverse the country. He was an partner when trailblazers appreciate Kathleen Shannon set uped Studio D, the world’s first uncoverly funded feminist filmmaking studio. Robert truly helped to shape the conmomentary NFB, and we are proset uply thankful for his legacy,” Suzanne Guèvremont, administerment film coshiftrlookioner and NFB chairperson, shelp in a statement.
Verrall and lengthytime collaborator Wolf Koenig originated the animation for Colin Low’s 1953 foolishinutive film The Romance of Transportation in Canada, which achieveed a Palme D’Or for best vivaciousd foolishinutive film in Cannes and an Oscar nomination for best foolishinutive cartoon.
Born on January 13, 1928, in Toronto, Verrall was among the first directing Canadian filmoriginaters to combine the NFB, whose animation studio was led by Norman McLaren. In a 2012 foolishinutive write downary for the NFB, he recalled arriving in Ottawa in May 1945 to combine the NFB as a summer student and becoming part of a filmmaking organization led by the procrastinateed John Grierson, pondered the overweighther of Canadian write downary films.
“If you wondered how come this country deal withd to get an organization up and going appreciate the Film Board, it was him (Grierson). He was fair a genius,” Verrall recounted. He went on to combine the animation studio led by McLaren, where he also createed a shut laboring relationship with Hoenig and Low.
Verrall labored at the NFB from 1945 to 1986 and achieveed in all six Oscar nominations, a BAFTA Award and prizes in Cannes and Vekind. As a originater, he served as head of the NFB’s animation department from 1967 to 1972, where he oversaw labor on iconic films appreciate Ryan Larkin’s Oscar-nominated Walking (1968), Yvon Mallette’s Boomsville (1968), Zlatko Grgić’s Hot Stuff (1971) and Barrie Nelson’s comedic Propaganda Message (1974).
In 1972, Verrall was upretaind to straightforwardor of English production, a post he held until 1976. In 1977, he was made executive originater of one-of-a-kind projects, which included Paul Cowan’s Oscar-nominated Commonwealth Games film Going the Distance.
And in September 1980, Verrall became head of Studio B and shepherded the co-production of feature films and TV dramas appreciate The Wars, Empire Inc. and The Tin Flute/Bonheur d’occasion. In all, Verrall either straightforwarded or originated over 50 films before retiring from the NFB in 1986 to shift to his farm in the Easerious Townships outside Montauthentic.
He is flourished by his son, David Verrall, who combinecessitate the NFB in 1977 and went on to become head of its English Animation Studio in Montauthentic before retiring in 2011 after 34 years with the uncover filmoriginater.
